Begin Again - Bamon AU
by damnbamon
Summary: Bonnie is haunted by her memories as she tries to make a new life for herself. She never thought the one good thing from her memory would show up when she needed him the most. - Bamon AU
Bonnie and Damon drabble/oneshot

* * *

Bonnie stood at the mirror, looking into her own reflection. It was a tired, fresh faced reflection that she wasn't sure what to make of. This was the first day in months that she had been able to look at herself straight on. She swallowed hard, and the longer she stared into the mirror she felt like she was going to be okay. She moved her hands slowly along the sides of the running sink.

"Today is going to be okay." she whispered, inhaling.

There was a crash as the ceramic cup holding her tooth brush fell off the sink and onto the tile flooring. Suddenly her vision was flooded with memories, and her body went rigid.

 _"You are worthless!" he screamed at her._

 _"You are fucking worthless!" his voice was loud in her ears, making her heart beat hard in her chest as she stood before him shaking._

 _"Stop." Bonnie spoke breathlessly back at him, her eyes glued to the wall behind him. If she looked into his eyes, she would fall apart entirely._

 _Suddenly his hands were on her arms, grabbing her so tightly, so tightly. His fingers dug into her flesh, his body vibrating with his yelling._

 _"Don't you dare talk to me that way!"_  
 _"Do you think I'm stupid?!"_  
 _"Is that what you want? Me to hurt you?"_

 _Bonnie inhaled, struggling to get away from him, but the more she struggled the harder his hold got. Her head was dizzy, her eyes leaking a wetness that she knew would only upset him more. She wasn't allowed to cry, she wasn't allowed to be anything but respectful to him. It was a maddening circle of pain and obedience._

 _He was all over her, leaving bruises and a wreck of a woman in his path. His hands were his deadly weapons that left her on the brink of life. It was the twisted punishment that she was far used to. Glasses thrown across the room, dug into her skin, blood dripping down her face, her arms, her feet. Darkness was left, she was left all alone in the darkness and silence. Bonnie squeezed her eyes shut, and sobbed into her battered knee's._

Bonnie gasped, trying to get her memories to leave her alone. Her hands slipped off the sink and she tumbled backwards, crashing against the wall. Her eyelids fluttered and she slipped down to her butt on the floor. Her hands shaking, she wrapped her arms around her knee's in a way that was familiar. Her tears dripped down her face.

At some point she finally got the strength to get up, finish getting dressed and walk outside. Her dress was, well, it was a dress. This made her happy. He never let her wear dresses, but, this dress it was yellow, full of life; and Bonnie was wearing it. She didn't care about the chill in the air, her damp hair, or the fact that she should be wearing a coat. None of this mattered. Her nose was still a little red, but she stood at the walk way, waiting for the light to tell her she could walk and felt the breeze ruffle her curly hair.

Bonnie felt like everyone was looking at her, and her heart hurt even though she knew they weren't. It felt as though she was going to be okay one second, and then she was worried about every possible thing that could go wrong the next. She didn't have a plan for that day, not a real one. Bonnie had just put on her dress, her only dress, her favorite dress, and decided to get coffee. Bonnie could finally do what she wanted, she was free, so why wouldn't the pain go away?

She inhaled slowly as she crossed the street and her flats pattered against the sidewalk quietly. Weekends were hardest for her. She didn't work, hadn't made any friends yet, and her apartment was big and empty even with the sound of the radio or television.

Finally she made it to the cafe. When she opened the door the smell of baked goods and fresh brewed coffee filled her senses and even though her lips wanted to turn up at the edges, they wouldn't. Bonnie walked slowly over to wait in line. Getting out was difficult but, the more she did it the more she felt like she could get used to it.

The new city, hundreds of miles away from all her torment, yet her pain was still there with her. Sometimes she felt like she wasn't herself, but, who was she in the first place? Her will to live was slowly coming back to her, the more she lived, the more she spoke to people around her, the more she realized she deserved to live.

Once she was at the counter, she ordered her drink and stood by waiting for a few minutes, watching the barista make it, mesmerized by the process. Everything was so beautiful to her.

After she paid, Bonnie grabbed the drink and turned around, walking over to a table. Her eyes flickered around the cafe as she walked slowly, taking everything in. Every buzzing, humming sound of voices, every smile on lips, every glimmer of colorful eyes. Before she could get to the table, her eyes caught the dark hair of someone familiar. At first she wasn't sure who she was looking at, as he was across the cafe. However, then he turned a little more, and the coffee in her hand fell to the floor.

 _"P-lease." Bonnie begged, her vision going blurry._

 _"I told you this would happen!" he growled at her, and with every shove, punch to her, she was finding it harder to speak, harder to think._

 _"Please stop!" she coughed, tears dripping from her eyes, her arms flailing outwards trying to defend herself._

 _Her shirt was grabbed and even though she could hear the sirens in the background, Bonnie wasn't so sure someone would make it in time. He slammed her to the floor, hovering above her, slamming her head against the kitchen floor. Bonnie inhaled sharply, her heart pounding her her chest._

 _"You will be dead before they find you." he laughed at her, and his hands grabbed at her neck._

 _"N-no..." Bonnie swung at him as he cut her air off._

 _She wasn't sure if the sirens were getting softer or if she was dying._

 _Just when everything was about to go black, Bonnie heard the sound of the front door being kicked off it's hinges. Everything was spinning around her._

 _"Get off her! Get off her and put your hands in the air!"_

 _Suddenly there were gunshots, and the heavy weight on top of her rolled off, and her lungs expanded._

 _Bonnie was so scared, she could feel her blood oozing out of her body._

 _"Help." she breathed, certain she would be left behind, why would anyone help her? She was worthless after all._

 _Suddenly hands were on her, but they were gentle, and two arms lifted her up off the floor._

 _"Help.." Bonnie whispered again, frightened._

 _Her vision was clearing, and her eyes flickered above her trying to figure out what was going on._

 _She felt her back lay against something, and straps go over her midsection and legs as a mask was placed over her nose and mouth._

 _Bonnie's hands and arms moved, trying to find something to grasp onto as her heart thumped roughly._

 _A hand large hand grabbed back at hers, and they leaned over her to look in her face as she was riding in the ambulance. Bonnie's eyes met his and they were the bluest brightest thing she had ever seen in her life._

 _"Ms. Bennett. You're going to be alright." he told her, his black hair hanging over his forehead._

 _Bonnie squeezed back at the mans hand, eyes taking in his uniform._

 _"You're okay." he repeated, not taking his hand away from hers for a single second._

Bonnie stood there, hand still out where it had been, coffee on the floor. It had only been a moment but everything had rushed back to her. Her eyes stared at the tall dark haired man and without warning, without logic, without thought, she propelled herself forward. Bonnie sped across the cafe and within seconds crashed into him, her arms flying around his neck.

The man was startled, and turned around completely, Bonnie still clinging to him for dear life.

"Excuse me..." he said slowly, and Bonnie pulled backwards, but didn't remove her arms from him.

Bonnie stared into his blue eyes, she couldn't rip her eyes away from his face.

"I remember you." he told her, recognition flashing across his face, "You're..."

"Bonnie." she whispered, and his eyes poured back into her emerald ones.

"Damon." the man said back at her softly, his hand moving up to her face.

Bonnie felt his thumb brush a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"I know." she replied and Damon's lips turned up at the edges, and for the first time in a long time, so did hers.

Damon's fingers trailed along her cheek, and Bonnie's chest warmed.

"You saved me."


End file.
